Poor nurses
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I have been at my facility for 2 years now. I am not complaining about the work--we all know that it is exhausting, patients never satisfied, endlessly busy BUT....now that I have gotten to know... Read More

Just want to say you don't know everyone's situation. Not everyone who is tight financially is out spending money on Disney vacations and expensive clothes. I, myself, have a very ill mother I care for and that is an added expense there.

I apologize, I wasn't trying to imply others are actually doing that... those are things I would love to be able to do but consider non-essential... I know that everyone has different situations and I was just offering a peek into how we do it because a previous poster indicated an interest in how someone could live on the lower incomes indicated.

I really have no basis to compare myself to anyone else, so I don't even try. I really didn't mean to come off that way...

Jul 14, '10

I guess that poster hasn't ever worked with a lazy and or incompetent nurse?

A lazy, incompetent nurse would have lost her license/job. You can't be lazy when you have a ton of sick/dying patients that need proper care. There may be some more hard working nurses, but a lazy nurse? Let's see how long one would last in a hospital.

A lazy, incompetent nurse would have lost her license/job. You can't be lazy when you have a ton of sick/dying patients that need proper care. There may be some more hard working nurses, but a lazy nurse? Let's see how long one would last in a hospital.

Really?? I have no clue how long you have been a nurse but surely not long enough if you haven't had the pleasure of working with someone lazy or incompetent.

A lazy, incompetent nurse would have lost her license/job. You can't be lazy when you have a ton of sick/dying patients that need proper care. There may be some more hard working nurses, but a lazy nurse? Let's see how long one would last in a hospital.

Some of those lazy and incompetent nurses may slip through the cracks of detection and actually don't lose their license/job. Just like some people who are reckless drivers, and have other peoples hands in their lives when their on the road, don't lose their license all the time.

Really?? I have no clue how long you have been a nurse but surely not long enough if you haven't had the pleasure of working with someone lazy or incompetent.

I'm not a nurse yet but at my first CNA job at a LTC facility, I worked with nothing BUT lazy and incompetent nurses. One was so lazy that she couldn't get up off her *** to pass meds. She would sit at the nurses station, put them in a cup, then call one of her butt-kissing CNA's to come over and pass it. Once, a resident was in really bad shape, I thought he might die that second. I went and told her and she waved her hand dismissively and said "Oh, he's DNR, don't bother with him". I was like "Oh, since he's DNR we just say to **** with him?" DANG.

I'm not a nurse yet but at my first CNA job at a LTC facility, I worked with nothing BUT lazy and incompetent nurses. One was so lazy that she couldn't get up off her *** to pass meds. She would sit at the nurses station, put them in a cup, then call one of her butt-kissing CNA's to come over and pass it. Once, a resident was in really bad shape, I thought he might die that second. I went and told her and she waved her hand dismissively and said "Oh, he's DNR, don't bother with him". I was like "Oh, since he's DNR we just say to **** with him?" DANG.

Do not let this put a bad taste in your mouth, while this happens, it is not the norm! It can take some searching but expect to find a great team with only maybe one or two weaker links

I have been at my facility for 2 years now. I am not complaining about the work--we all know that it is exhausting, patients never satisfied, endlessly busy BUT....now that I have gotten to know some of the nurses at my hospital, it appears that they are POOR! I guess I might call them the working poor and this just does not seem right. My starting pay including diffs for nights is 19.00 per hour. Day shift makes about $18.00. I must also stress that everyone always says "well it is a low cost area of living". Well not entirely. My groceries cost the same here as they did in the city. While it is true that one can buy a very nice home for $180,000, there really is not much under 180k. Restaurant prices are the same. School supplies for my kids run about the same as those in the city. My car insurance is probably a little less but the price of the car was no different. What I am getting at is that there are nurses at my hospital that are in foreclosure. One I know has applied for food stamps. The reason is that we have not gotten raises now for 2 years. Also hours have been significantly cut. At the most I am able to get 32 hours per week. Our LPN's only get $10.75 per hour. I really do not know how they can live on that. I am considering getting a NP degrees online and leaving this area. The NP's around here start out at $23/hour I am told. Someone even thought that was really good! Are there any other poor nurses out there. I am sure someone will flame me and say be glad you have a job but I spent 14k to be able to do this!

Oh my goodness, if a nice house costs 180k, $18/hr is very good pay for your area.
In my neck of the woods, a "starter" home would cost about 300k, and new nurses make about $30/hr. It's still considered far above average pay. I suppose it's all relative though. Even in a low cost state, I imagine it would be hard to afford a house, kids, car, etc. on your own.

You only pay 200 a month for insurance for the entire family? We play close to $700 a month with $30 copays everytime we go to the doctor. And that is through DH's work. If I were to get insurance through my work I would pay over $1200/month for our family!

Jul 14, '10

I think the key to surviving on a low salary, and I speak from very personal experience as a former journalist, is living within or even below your means. I think a lot of people are "poor" because they think they need to keep up with the Joneses.

I've had to strenuously re-evaluate my priorities and turn to a much more frugal, simple way of living. My dollar goes a lot further now. I try to avoid the typical consumerist way of living--I stay out of the malls and I make do with what I have, or I do without. A big difference is that I don't really want things that might be seen as a status symbol. I don't want a big house, and I could easily be happy in a smaller one than my own. I don't need a new car because mine runs and gets me from A to B. I save my money for meaningful things, and I try and make every purchase a conscious choice (really hard to do in this society!).

I think a lot of people are "poor" because they think they need to keep up with the Joneses.

Great point and this applies no matter how much money someone makes. Look at the number of movie stars and sports figures that have met with financial ruin despite making millions of dollars. To a large extent it isn't about how much you make it is about how much you spend and much of that is controllable.

Jul 14, '10

I fully agree that nurses (LVNs and RNs) are for the most part grossly underpaid for what they do. But I also find it strange that some folks find it so offensive that someone with little education manages to make a ton of money. One of my friends in high school dropped out when he was sixteen, bought an old pickup, and started driving into the city every day to mow yards. His annual gross income is now close to seven figures as he has 25 two man crews, designs and installs irrigation systems and landscapes, owns his own stone quarry, and has been featured in several trade magazines. The only thing I find offensive is that I had the chance to go in with him when he first started out and turned him down.

Family health insurance is $200 a month and that's without copays, deductibles, etc. quote]

You only pay 200 a month for insurance for the entire family? We play close to $700 a month with $30 copays everytime we go to the doctor. And that is through DH's work. If I were to get insurance through my work I would pay over $1200/month for our family!

Well considering I'm a one income family and only make about $1800 a month with a BSN. Yeah, it's a lot. I wouldn't have insurance at all if it cost $700 a month! I'm not here to get into a ******* contest about who has it worse off. I only want to warn people looking into entering nursing to do your research. I came on here long before I was a nurse and all I saw was these over inflated rates of pay being posted. It is not that way in all areas. Nursing has been nothing but stress with little pay off for me. Looking forward to leaving and going back to a desk job =)